1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for editing digital images. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for adjusting the color of a digital image.
2. Related Art
As digital photography and digital moviemaking have become more popular, an increasing number of users are routinely using image-editing programs to manipulate digital images and movies. Recently developed image-editing programs contain many powerful features which enable users to make many sophisticated and subtle adjustments to their digital images and movies.
Unfortunately, these features are often arcane and challenging to use. For example, typical image-editing programs contain many features that enable a user to adjust the color of a digital image. However, these color-adjustment features are difficult to utilize. For example, one common color-adjustment interface includes a region within the interface that represents a spectrum of possible color-adjustments. In order to adjust the color of a digital image, the user uses a mouse to drag an indicator to a chosen area within the region. For example, if the user prefers an image that is more blue, the user simply drags the indicator to a more “blue” area of the region. When the user releases the indicator, the image-editing program adjusts the color of the digital image accordingly.
A problem occurs when a user wants to make a particularly fine or a coarse adjustment and the color-adjustment interface is set up for the opposite type of adjustment. For example, if the color-adjustment region is set up to make fine adjustments but the user desires to make a coarse adjustment, the user may have to drag the indicator through dozens of inches of movement with the mouse to achieve a desired color-adjustment. In other words, the user may have to repeatedly move the mouse to the extent of its travel, pick up the mouse, move the mouse back to the start position, and move the mouse to the extent of its travel again. Moving the mouse through such a distance to make a color-adjustment makes the image-editing software difficult to use. Conversely, if the color-adjustment region is set up for coarse adjustments but the user desires to make fine adjustments, the fine adjustment may not be possible, even if the user is very careful in moving the mouse.
Hence, what is needed is an image-editing program without the above-described problems.